Love at First Novel by Gu Lingfei

Kathryn had fought back.

At first, when her adoptive brothers beat her, she resisted with everything she had.

They were older and stronger, but she refused to go down without a fight. She threw anything she could get her hands on at them.

One time, she even grabbed a hatchet and chased them across the village.

They were terrified.

Even when her adoptive mother tried to punish her on their behalf, Kathryn didn't back down-she raised the hatchet and swung at her, too.

Her defiance finally shocked them into submission.

After that, they never dared to lay a hand on her again.

But she still had to live in that house, relying on them for food and shelter. The abuse didn't stop-it just took different forms. She was always hungry, always cold, never given decent clothes or a proper place to sleep.

And her adoptive father, the man who had brought her into that family, never once stepped in. He never defended her.

Kathryn hated him the most.

to prison, he later died of a so-called "illness" behind

truth-her biological mother

sympathy, no pity. If anything, she thought death was too easy

adoptive mother and brothers

to drain

never gave them

Farrells, she had already built a successful business and was worth

a secret from her adoptive family. She had no

tormented her for years-why should she lift a

She wasn't a saint.

ever happen again." Then he stood up, grabbed some ice, and carefully pressed it against her

down a

had been beaten,

to her with ice packs,

Or Annenburg? It doesn't get too cold there,

moment. "If it's too hot, we can turn on the air conditioner. But the cold? If there's

of everything she had endured

to suffer from frostbite every

and became wealthy that she finally had warmth-heated buildings, a car

got frostbite